As evidenced by its skewed sex ratio of 940 females per 1000 males, India is still a long way from achieving gender equality. In India, a girl child is frequently regarded as a liability, a 'burden' to be passed down through the generations. Because of patriarchal values' pervasive influence, many girls face gender inequality, gender stereotypes, and are treated as second-class citizens when compared to boys.
The girl child, irrespective of how bright or talented she is, often gets the short end of the stick. Because they are afraid of exploitation and abuse, many girls are not sent to school and are kept at home.
How can we expect India to progress if half of its population is marginalised? We must first understand the major challenges that a girl child faces in order to find solutions.
Survival as the First Challenge
Despite the fact that there are laws prohibiting the sex determination of a foetus and selective abortion, the practise persists in the shadows. It has a negative impact on not only the number of girls born, but also the health and safety of the mother. Because the woman is blamed for the baby's gender, multiple pregnancies in the hopes of having a boy are harmful to both physical and mental health. To help the girl child survive, laws must be strictly enforced and monitored, as well as increased awareness.
Hurdles in Receiving Quality Education
According to recent national data, girls drop out at a rate of 4.10 percent in elementary school and 16.88 percent in secondary school, with figures significantly higher for girls from vulnerable groups (19.05 percent for SC and 24.4 percent for ST groups) (U-DISE 2015-16). Girls have a retention rate of 70.6 percent in elementary school, but it drops to 55.5 percent in secondary school (U-DISE 2016-17). Many teenage girls attend school irregularly or drop out before completing their education due to existing attitudes toward girls' education, distance between home and school, safety concerns, a lack of separate and functional toilets, a lack of affordable sanitary napkins, and poor school infrastructure. In India, one out of every three girls completes a school education appropriate for her age.
Child Marriage
In India, girls account for 8.9 million of the 12.15 million children married, and married girls outnumber married boys three to one. Approximately 3 million children under the age of 14 are married, according to the 2011 Census. Rural girls make up 55% of all married children. Girls' childhoods are robbed when they are forced to take on adult roles for which they are unprepared, such as managing households, bearing children, making decisions, and so on. It not only disrupts her education, but it also encourages young girls to become pregnant early, endangering the health and nutrition of both the adolescent mother and her child.
Abuse and Violence/Safety Concerns
A girl child is an easy target and is frequently the victim of domestic violence and abuse, which often goes unnoticed. For fear of their daughters' safety, parents in rural areas are hesitant to send their daughters to school. Kidnapping, abduction, and sexual offences against children were among the top two crimes committed against children, according to the most recent data from the National Crime Records Bureau. Girls under the age of 18 accounted for 28% of all rape victims, and girls accounted for 70% of all children who went missing in 2018.
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katalyst, human development, gender equality,
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